Go Tim Go!

Honesty may be coming back in vogue. You will love this article as it rightfully skewers Obama and his policies.

Gio-

Gov. Pawlenty: Obama Corrosive to Freedom, Liberty

Monday, October 26, 2009 7:50 AM

By: Ronald Kessler

President Obama has used bait-and-switch tactics first to get elected and now to push his healthcare proposal, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty tells Newsmax.

During the campaign, Obama portrayed himself as a centrist but has governed as a “movement liberal,” says Pawlenty, who is widely seen as preparing for a presidential bid and has started Freedom First PAC to raise funds for Republican candidates in next year’s elections.

“His solutions are federalization of policy, spending way beyond anything we’ve seen in terms of deficit or debt levels, spending the country into bankruptcy,” Pawlenty says. “And what’s behind it is a philosophy that government knows best, a nanny-state mentality on domestic issues that will ultimately be corrosive to the other pillars of our country — to markets, private enterprise, individual responsibility, freedom and liberty.”

On the national security front, “History proves that it is weakness, not strength, that tempts our enemies,” observes Pawlenty. “And he is projecting potential weakness, and enemies may see that and their respect may be reduced as a result of that, or worse.”

Obama sold his healthcare proposal as a way to reduce costs and help the economy. But, Pawlenty says, “I think it’s going to go down as one of the biggest bait-and-switch acts in history, in the sense that the diagnosis of the problem for the healthcare delivery system in the country was supposed to be cost-containment. In other words, we need to make it more affordable for individuals and families, businesses, and governmental entities. But instead they are now focused substantially on expanding access.”

While that is an admirable goal, “They have lost sight of the need first and foremost to contain costs and reduce the price of the overall system,” Pawlenty says. ”It’s going to cost more, not less.”

As a way to reduce healthcare costs, Pawlenty notes that he has proposed allowing residents of Minnesota to buy health insurance from companies based in other states, encouraging competition.

“We’re also beginning the effort to try to organize other states to join us in a compact that would allow states who voluntarily join the compact to be able to purchase insurance from other compact member states,” Pawlenty says. “This is a model that’s worked real well for life insurance. But even without a compact, individual states like Minnesota can authorize their citizens to buy insurance in other states.

“I propose to be the first state in the union to allow that and am asking my legislature to change the law in Minnesota to allow it.”

Pawlenty sees Obama’s war on Fox News as an example of his partisanship.

“You have Republicans who are willing to go on MSNBC and other outlets,” Pawlenty says. “I don’t think it’s helpful for either side to just talk to their own.

“If you’re going to be trying to grow market share, grow the party, reach out to others, it’s important to talk not just to people who already agree with you, but it’s important to get the message out to others who maybe haven’t heard it yet, or that you need to appeal to.”

In fact, Pawlenty says, “He’s turned out to be extremely partisan in his approaches, and this healthcare bill is going to be another example of jamming something through that is almost completely lacking in Republican support.

“President Obama has governed in an extremely liberal way, and he hasn’t accomplished many major initiatives, but the few that he has have been almost exclusively partisan. That defies what he said during the campaign and doesn’t live up to that promise.”

Ronald Kessler is chief Washington correspondent of Newsmax.com. View his previous reports and get his dispatches sent to you free via
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